Description
Book SynopsisLong the dominant religion of the West, Christianity is now rapidly becoming the principal faith in much of the postcolonial world--a development that marks a momentous shift in the religion''s very center of gravity. In this eye-opening book, Lamin Sanneh examines the roots of this post-Western awakening and the unparalleled richness and diversity, as well as the tension and conflict, it has brought to World Christianity. Tracing Christianity''s rise from its birth on the edge of the Roman empire--when it proclaimed itself to be a religion for the entire world, not just for one people, one time, and one place--to its key role in Europe''s maritime and colonial expansion, Sanneh sheds new light on the ways in which post-Western societies in Africa, Asia, and Latin America were drawn into the Christian orbit. Ultimately, he shows, these societies outgrew Christianity''s colonial forms and restructured it through their own languages and idioms--a process that often occurred outside, and
Trade ReviewLamin Sanneh is one of the foremost names in the study of world Christianity today ... Disciples of All Nations: Pillars of World Christianity is his most comprehensive work on this topic to date. With a sweeping historical vision that ranges from Tertullian to Mao, Sanneh offers an integrated historical framework for understanding world Christianity at the beginning of the twenty-first century. * Dale T. Irvin, Journal of the American Academy of Religion *
I'm lost in admiration for Lamin Sanneh's magnificent study of world Christianity, for the work's geographical scope and historical sweep, and for the breadth of the author's learning. Throughout, Sanneh asks the critical question: how can we reconceive Christianity in a way that frees it from its European and imperial contexts, permitting the faith to adapt to the kaleidoscopic realities of different societies around the globe. This is a splendid achievement. * Philip Jenkins, author of The Next Christendom and The New Faces of Christianity *
Imaginatively conceived, rigourously erudite and persuasively argued, this book sets the standard for the new series, Oxford Studies in World Christianity ... Please put this splendid and highly relevant book high up on your 'must-read' list. * Kenneth Cracknell, Theology *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: New Testament Revolution: The Missionary Pillar 1: Whither Christianity? A Study in Origin, Thought, and Action 2: The Comparative Pillar: The Christian Movement in Islamic Perspective 3: Old World Precedents and New World Directions: The Trans-Atlantic Pillar 4: The Yogi and the Commissar 5: Renewal and the Charismatic Spirit 6: Resurgence and the New Order in West Africa: Primal Pillar 7: Civilization and the Limits of Mission 8: Christianity and the New China 9: Conclusion: Christian Dynamism and Concurrent Cultural Shifts Select Bibliography
